Mollie Magnuson currently works for the Lincoln Arts Council and for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Community Learning Center at Goodrich at Dawes Middle School. Mollie holds a Bachelors degree in Fine Art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a focus in Printmaking. Mollie is a strong advocate for Community Art and believes that making collaborations and providing opportunities for underserved populations within the community is very important.

The Goodrich at Dawes CLC "Splish Splash Painting" club was made up of 6th and 7th graders who met every week for two hours during the winter quarter to plan, design, and paint their rain barrel. The excitement that was generated throughout the weeks that were spent together was almost overwhelming. From the suspense of whether the group was chosen or not to be one of the artists to paint a rain barrel, to the designing process and then through the physical process of painting it was a fun filled learning experience for everyone involved.

Artwork Interpretation"Penguin Mountain"

Location: Victor E. Anderson Branch, 3635 Touzalin Ave.

Focusing on the vital role that water plays for survival, the students decided to have a landscape theme that included mountains, flowers, and rain. One of the students wrote, "We want to show that we care about the water and how it is used." Each student in our first planning session sketched their ideas of what they thought should be included on the rain barrel and through collaboration we condensed the sketches into one design.